This recipe for bread pudding is so easy and can be used for just about any stale bread you have lying around.
Sometimes, when I’m making sandwiches, I save all the crust pieces in the freezer. If I have end pieces of bread, I save those too. When I’ve got a lot stashed up, I just break them all up and make this delicious bread pudding.
Of course, if you happen to have day old brioche bread, you could use that and have a really rich bread pudding but I think it’s just fine with regular bread. Matter of fact, when my friend’s mom gave me this recipe, she told me that you could use pretty much anything you have leftover that is going stale—bagels, doughnuts, sweet breads, french loaves, or any other bready thing.
Tips for Making Bread Pudding
I’ve baked this bread pudding quite often and here are some tips I recommend:
1. When you’ve assembled the bread pudding and poured the custard over it, leave it in the fridge for at least a few hours if not overnight so that the bread gets to soak up all the yummy custard. This will lead to a more cohesive bread pudding. Also, if you leave it overnight and bake first thing in the morning, you get to enjoy this for breakfast. Yum!
2. The original recipe called for raisins and apples to be placed on top. If you plan to use any fruit in it, especially dried fruit, don’t sprinkle the fruit on top. Instead, bury the fruit in between the bread. That way, the fruit won’t get dried out and burnt on the top (notice how burnt my apple slices got on top?).
3. The better the bread, the better the bread pudding. If you use wonder bread or really cheap white bread, you’re going to get gummy bread pudding.
4. Stale bread works better than fresh bread (you should be EATING your fresh bread anyway). But if you absolutely have to, I guess you could get some fresh bread to make this (toast it first to dry it out a little). OR, do like me, and go to those bread shops that sell day-old bread and buy some OR go to your favorite bread vendor at the farmer’s market and ask if they have day-old bread to sell to you.
This recipe normally makes enough to fill a 13×9 rectangular baking pan but if you want to make a smaller bread pudding, just cut the recipe based on how much bread you have and the size of your pudding container. Today, I used a deep round casserole dish and thought that the recipe might be a bit much, so I just cut it down by 1/4.
This bread pudding recipe also doesn’t give precise amounts for the broken bread. I would say just tear up the bread to fill your pan and then just pour the custard over it. For my casserole dish, I used about 10 or 11 Pullman loaf-sized slices of bread.
Alrighty then, on to the recipe.
Bread Pudding Recipe
makes one 13×9 pan
Ingredients:
12-16 slices (4-5 cups) stale bread or anything bready, broken up into pieces
4 cups milk (whole is best)
1 stick butter (4 oz), melted
1 1/4 cup sugar (I’ve gotten away with less especially if you’re using sweetened bread)
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Optional ingredients: dried fruit (raisins, cherries, etc), fresh apple slices, bananas
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Bread Pudding Mise en Place
Method:
1. Place broken pieces of bread all over pan. If using fruit, layer some in the middle of the bread and cover with more bread.
2. Beat eggs with vanilla and then mix this with milk, butter and sugar. Whisk to ensure ingredients are mixed evenly.
3. Pour mixed ingredients (custard) over broken bread.
4. Sprinkle with cinnamon on top.
5. Place bread pudding in fridge and let soak for at least 2 hours.
6. Preheat oven to 350 F.
7. Bake for about 1 hour or until tester comes out clean. If using a deep dish casserole, expect it to take a little longer.
I have another bread pudding recipe to share but that will have to wait for another post. That one is a tropical bread pudding that my friend Melissa made for our Ultimate Backyard Lu’au a few months ago that was also a great success. And I recently saw a post by Foodgal on a savory bread pudding from Thomas Keller’s “Ad Hoc at Home” cookbook that I am keen to try too. Man, talk about carb overload. I will need to make more friends to share all this yumminess!
In the meantime, enjoy this easy bread pudding and let me know if you like it!
Cheers, Annie
This post is entered into the Yeast Spotting Roundup for November 20.
>Looks like a great bread pudding there. Would love to have a try on this 🙂
>One of my favorite desserts I always have to have whenever I see it on the menu. This recipe looks really good and I can't wait to try this recipe.
>Sounds so good topped with apple slices! I have some leftover brioche bread actually and would love to try this right away!
>Mmmm! I never tried it with fruit or raisins in it. I'll have to add it next time esp w/ apples in season now…and the weather getting cooler.
>I save up my bread ends to make bread crumbs. Man, I should have been making bread pudding instead. 😉
>@all – thanks for your comments!
@tracieMoo – please do! Let us know how it turns out.
@Janice – would love to know how you like it.
@5 Star – oh man, brioche! Go for it! Be sure to leave a follow-up comment 🙂
@smile4me8p – we got the raisins from our favorite fruit vendor, CMC Farms, at the Saratoga Market. They have the most awesome, plump, sweet, juicy raisins.
@Carolyn – make the bread pudding with your saved ends, and use fresh bread for breadcrumbs!
>I am such a sucker for bread pudding. Seasonal all the time with different fruits, and so easy!
How long should you whisk the custard for?
Shelbie –
until it’s mixed evenly, not too long.
I’ve just mixed it all up and put it in the fridge to set. I had a round of bread given to me but it was spoilied when I took it out of the wrapper. I took my whole wheat bread and toasted it as you suggested and I put a few leftover blueberries and some raisins in it. I can’t wait to cook it off. I suspect it will be really yummy. Thanks. Simple and effective recipe.
Nice and easy recipe. Can’t wait to try this. Hubby will be very pleased I’m sure. Thanks Annie!